The present invention relates generally to embroidery applications. More particularly, the present invention provides a technique including a method, system, and device for analyzing stitch information on embroidery patterns, which are used on commercial and non-commercial sewing applications.
Computerized sewing machines have generally evolved to almost automatically stitch complex designs onto pieces of cloth to create an embroidery design. The design is derived from embroidery stitch data. In the sewing machine, embroidery stitch data often translates into a series of stitches to be sewn on a work cloth to form an embroidery design. The stitch data include an ordered set of stitch coordinates or displacements and interspersed control codes. The stitch coordinates generally specify a spatial location where the embroidery needle pierces the work cloth. The control codes generally specify events. These events include thread changes used mainly to change the color of the thread; long or jump stitches; and end of the embroidery design.
The stitches are often numbered as coordinates from xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9cn,xe2x80x9d where n is the total number of stitches in the design. For example, stitch number 1 corresponds to the first needle pierce, stitch number 2 corresponds to the second needle pierce, and stitch number n corresponds to the last needle pierce. The set of embroidery stitch data for a design is commonly called a stitch-based design, and is often saved as a computer file which is referred to as a design file.
Depending on the computerized sewing machine and the software used to create such designs, design files may have limitations such as a maximum number of stitches or colors the design file can contain, or the maximum dimensions that the design represented by the file can span. The latter is often imposed by the size of the hoop frame that the cloth is set into. These limitations are generally more severe on so-called home embroidery machines as opposed to professional embroidery machines, although professional embroidery machines also have certain limitations.
To circumvent limitations such as the maximum number of stitches or number of available colors a design file can contain, the stitches in a design are sometimes split into two or more sections, and each section is saved into a separate design file, such that the number of stitches and/or colors in each design file does not exceed the maximum allowable by the particular technique. By sewing the design sections or files one after the other onto the same piece of cloth, a complex embroidered design that contains an arbitrary number of stitches and/or colors is created.
To circumvent the limitation of maximum dimensions a design file can contain, the stitches in a design are sometimes split into two or more sections, such that the x- and y-dimensions spanned in each section does not exceed the maximum. The stitches in each section can be in a separate file, or depending on the file format may be saved in one file. Either way, by sewing the sections one after the other onto adjacent or overlapping regions on the same piece of cloth, an embroidered design that spans an arbitrary area is created. To sew the sections onto adjacent or overlapping regions, the fabric is often shifted and reset into the hoop frame between sections. Alternatively, some sewing machine manufacturers or third parties have developed so-called xe2x80x98multiple-position hoopsxe2x80x99, which have two (2) or more brackets that allow the hoop to be mounted to the sewing machine in two or more positions, and thus different sections of a design can be sewn onto adjacent or overlapping areas of a piece of fabric without the need for resetting the fabric in the hoop.
Conventional software used to create and manage multiple-section designs (multiple-file designs or multiple-hoop designs) designs has severe limitations. Conventional software generally splits the stitches in the design amongst the sections automatically without user interaction or control by a predetermined manufacturer technique. The software often does not give a result that the user intends. For example, it is often desirable to have each individual element of the design fall entirely within one section. Automatic software will often arbitrarily assign part of an element to one section, and another part of the element to another section without any regard to the user""s desires.
From the above, it is seen that improved tools for multiple-section embroidery designs are desirable.
According to the present invention, a technique for analyzing and manipulating stitch information in a multiple-section embroidery pattern is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a user device, method, and computer software for identifying characteristics of stitch data using a computer interface device. The present user device and method allow, for example, a user to easily identify the block of stitches assigned to each section of a multiple-section design, and to use other xe2x80x9cStitches-in-Timexe2x80x9d graphs such as the color bar, stitch length and stitch angle graphs, to assign or re-assign blocks of stitches to the various sections of a multiple-section design. The Stitches in Time graphs were described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,823, but should not be limiting the scope of the claims defined herein.
In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a graphical user interface device. The user interface device includes a display for an embroidery design, which is shown in electronic form. The display is coupled to a micro-processing device such as a microprocessor, microcomputer, or the like. The display also has a representation of a stitch (or plurality of stitches) in electronic form on a first axis of the display. The display also shows a property of the stitch in electronic form on a second axis of the display, where the second axis intersects the first axis for reference. The property of the stitch can include, among others, a section number or other identifier, which can in turn represent a particular filename or a particular hoop position. Other features can also be included depending upon the application.
In an alternative aspect, the present invention provides a method for moving one or more consecutive stitches in an embroidery design from one section to another. The method includes providing stitch data that defines an embroidery design, where the stitch data include a plurality of stitches. By methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,823 or other suitable techniques, a selection is defined by a user, where the selection includes a plurality of stitches in between a starting stitch and an ending stitch. The method also includes defining an insertion point in a stitches-in-time graph before or after any stitch in the design. The method also includes moving the selected stitches to the insertion point, so that the selected stitches are sewn in a different order with respect to the other stitches in the design.
In an alternative aspect, the present invention provides a method for adding a section to a multiple-section design. The section may represent a particular filename or hoop position, for example. The method includes providing stitch data represented by one or more stitches-in-time graphs. The method also includes inserting a section flag before or after any stitch in the design. The method also includes assigning any stitches after the newly added section flag and before any following section flag to the new section. The method also includes specifying the properties or name of the new section.
Numerous benefits are achieved by way of the present invention over conventional techniques. In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides easy to use tools to partition a design amongst multiple files and/or multiple hoop positions. Here, a goal is attained through a novel xe2x80x9cmultiple-section graphxe2x80x9d. The graph has stitch number or time as one axis, and section, file, or hoop identifier of each stitch as the other axis. In an alternative embodiment, the present invention provides an improved method to assign stitches within a stitch-based design to sections, files, or hoop positions. Here, the present invention uses Stitches-in-Time charts and graphs, especially the stitch length chart, by enabling a user to easily move a run of consecutive stitches between any two sections in the design. The invention also provides an easy way to manipulate larger designs than the largest design area supported by a design file type. The larger designs often require the use of multiple-position hoops for forming the design on a piece of cloth. Depending upon the embodiment, one or more of these advantages may exist, without limiting the scope of the claims herein.
These and other embodiments of the present invention, as well as its advantages and features, are described in more detail in conjunction with the text below and attached FIGS.